Is the Slovak Football Association obstructing justice?

"The Slovak Football Association has a tradition of resolving disputes through its internal bodies. There used to be an arbitration commission, an arbitration court, then both an arbitration court and a chamber coexisted, and now there is just a chamber. This means that, compared to other associations in Slovakia, it is something of a pioneer and can serve as a model. It's a different story when we apply stricter standards and look abroad at the recommendations or obligations from FIFA.

The Union of Football Professionals, as the players' association representing players in Slovakia, aims to see FIFA standards implemented domestically, and unfortunately, this has not yet been fully achieved. FIFA’s rules for national dispute resolution chambers from 2007, effective as of January 1, 2008, have still not been fully implemented—particularly in terms of parity, meaning the nomination of arbitrators on behalf of both players and clubs.

Moreover, the Appeals Committee of the Slovak Football Association, which reviews decisions, does not have equal representation—even though it is the body that issues final and binding decisions, it should include player representation. Similarly, the players’ association currently does not have the authority to nominate arbitrators on behalf of players, nor has this process been agreed upon between FIFA and the Slovak FA.

The ambition of the Slovak Football Association seems to be to give the chamber broad competence—not only to resolve disputes in professional football but also in amateur football—so there will likely need to be further expert reflection on whether the current form of the Dispute Resolution Chamber is indeed a final solution."